Masked Manhunt
by Romantic Twist
Summary: Batman and Robin and Batgirl of the 1960s travel to the Land of the Giants 1983


(MASKED) MANHUNT

Story notes: This story is a crossover between the Batman 1960s TV series characters and those of Land of the Giants. For the purposes of my story, Batgirl is played by Yvonne Craig, Batman by Adam West, Robin by Burt Ward, and Catwoman by Lee Meriwether. Both original serieses were owned by 20th Century Fox Television. Batman was created by DC Comics / Bob Kane. Land of the Giants was created by Irwin Allen. This story (written for entertainment purposes only) contains pretextual references to plots and characters from both TV shows. Please do not read the story if you don't want the plots given away.

Chapter 1: Extreme Possibility

In the Land of the Giants, in 1984...

Inspector Kobick was on the war path. For quite some time he'd been hunting seven familiar little people in what, to them, was the Land of the Giants. The group had supported each other closely, even the somewhat morally dubious older man. In the end, they had always managed to extricate each other from the SID's attempts to contain and interrogate them.

However, Kobick's recent investigations had unearthed the fact that two giant scientists had been illegally harbouring a little young woman for some time. Kobick mobilized several of his men, and performed a raid on their complex. The two scientists were arrested and charged and remanded in custody. It was certain that they would be convicted and sent to the SID prison.

Kobick now had the woman Marna in his office. She seemed unlike Captain Burton's team. She was simpler in her attitude and strangely cooperative.

"Do you know about the other little people?" he asked.

"I know of Mark Wilson and his Captain and other friends. The Captain didn't like me."

"Do you know where their space ship is?" asked Kobick.

"Yes. I could take you to it, if you like," said Marna.

"You're a very sensible young woman," said Kobick.

With that, Kobick assigned one of his sergeants to accompany him, and carried Marna Whalan out into the forest.

On a corny campy night in Gotham City in 1968, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were unable to get out of a parent/teacher meeting at Dick Grayson's high school. When they finally got back to Wayne Manor, Alfred asked them to call Commissioner Gordon urgently. Batman picked up the Bat-phone and made the call.

"Some rather science-fictional goings on are ... going on in Gotham Park," said the Commissioner, "Silver space ships are a myth. Yet my men assure me that a strange space ship has been sighted tonight, by 26 eyewitnesses who didn't see it land."

"We'll check it out, Commissioner," said Batman, and headed for the Batcave with Dick. Soon the Batmobile was speeding to Gotham Park, with Batman and Robin on their way.

They drove straight onto the park lawn, and saw that the ship was apparently unattended. Batman pressed a button on the side, which opened a door. The Dynamic Duo went inside, and decided to attempt to fly the ship to the Batcave, to study it further with the help of the Batcomputer.

They began trying the controls, until the door closed and the ship lifted off. However, they were unable to control its direction.

"Holy anxieties about upper atmosphere!" said Robin, "We're heading for outer space!"

"Patient men work things out," said Batman, "An apt quotation from our adventure with Penguin and Lola."

Consequently, Batgirl faced an outbreak of super villains all on her own:

Shame, Egghead, Chandell, King Tut, Dr Cassandra, Minerva, Louie the Lilac, Lola, Siren, Archer, Minstrel and Marsha Queen of Diamonds all teamed up to loot the Gotham City Diamond Exchange.

Using their various powers and gimmicks, the villains quickly incapacitated both the security guards and the police. Responding to the emergency, having learned of it from her father, Barbara Gordon completed her two-toned transformation into Batgirl, and rode quickly to the Diamond Exchange on her Bat-cycle.

Chapter 2: Batgirl's new Utility

"You're outnumbered, Bat-chick," said Shame.

"By you lot," Batgirl laughed, "You're not even in Batman's mainstream rogues gallery!"

The Dominoed Dare-doll put up quite a fight, but was soon overpowered by the villains. Suddenly a man in an unusual dark brown outfit appeared. He was holding a device, which resembled a walkie talkie. He pointed it at the villains, and sent some blast of sparks towards them. They released Batgirl, who then stepped back, and took a rope from her utility belt.

"Don't use it yet," said the newcomer, "Stand beside me first."

The man pointed his device at the menacing crowd of super villains, and they suddenly froze.

"I've stopped time, using this device. It's a Story Tactic Manipulator," said the stranger, "My name is Thorg, and I'm here to help you. If you use your rope, while they're still frozen, you should be able to tie them all up."

Batgirl ran her rope around the team of criminals, tied it tight, pulling the outliers inwards as she did so. When time restarted, they would not understand their sudden displacement, nor the presence of the Bat-rope.

"That was amazing," she said, "And thank you for saving me."

"I fight crimes of time, just as you fight urban crime in your city," said Thorg, "You were not meant to be facing these villains alone. Time was altered, when a runaway time travel craft landed in Gotham Park in your time, removing this era's original super heroes from their proper time and space. I have come to aid you in setting the timeline right. With Batman and Robin lost to this time period, you will need an advantage in order to battle the criminals of this city, which history decreed should have been beaten by Batman and Robin and yourself as a team. This is my spare Story Tactic Manipulator. I will train you in its use, and you can fight crime with it, while I continue my observations of this time and planet."

"You saved my life," said Batgirl, "Wouldn't you at least like to come back for coffee?"

She invited him back to her place.

Land of the Giants, 1984...

"What kind of trick is this?" asked Kobick, "Are you sure this is the place?"

"It's where Mark brought me last time. It wasn't right to their ship, as the Captain didn't trust me, but to someone your size, it must be close enough in this area."

"Search it!" ordered Kobick.

The sergeant went to work, thrashing around in the scrub, but he could not find the ship.

What neither Marna nor Kobick knew was that the ship had been captured by a married couple, whose young son had subsequently taken it into the forest and hidden it in a different place. All this had happened after Marna's encounter with Mark and Steve. She had brought Kobick very close to the camp site in good faith, but it had been moved.

Kobick caged her without all the comforts she had been used to, and kept her in his office for further interrogation. She missed her giant scientist friends, and resented this authoritarian figure for imprisoning both them and her, and separately. It finally began to dawn on her that Mark and Steve had been justified in their desire to keep away from the giants.

Chapter 3: Steve Burton does what's vital

Gotham City, 1968...

Thorg accompanied Batgirl on the back of her Bat-cycle, as Egghead had once done. This time Batgirl enjoyed the touch of a man behind her. When she'd ridden through the alley and into her secret garage, she reversed her costume and took on the appearance of librarian Barbara Gordon, until she showed him the revolving wall which led to her apartment.

Barbara set him up in the living room with coffee, while she changed into a more romantic outfit, and then sat down with Thorg. He began teaching her how to operate her Story Tactic Manipulator (STM).

Then she showed her gratitude by placing her arms around him and snuggling close.

In the weeks ahead, she introduced him to her father as a stranger from out of town, and they were soon married. She explained that she would be leaving to travel together soon, but not with some super villains still at large in Gotham City.

Land of the Giants, 1984 ...

Steve Burton and Mark Wilson were on a night mission in the city for food and Spindrift repair materials, when they were surprised and captured by an SID agent. The man contacted Kobick immediately, and arranged to turn them in at Kobick's office.

"You've done well, officer," said the Inspector, "The little captain and his most competent ally. Put them in the cage with the woman."

"Woman," said Steve, "I thought the girls were back at camp."

As the officer brought them around to the door of the cage, Mark and Steve recognized Marna. They were placed in the cage and locked.

"Oh Mark, they've caught you too," said Marna, "Now I understand your cautions, Captain."

She filled them in on all that had happened.

"I trust it's now clear to you why we don't liase with giants," said Mark.

"It is," said Marna.

"We're going to need help getting out of here," said Steve, and waited for Kobick and his underlings to go home to bed, leaving them all trapped in the SID cage. It was tightly clamped from the outside, and high on a desk.

Mark and Marna began to comfort each other.

Steve took out his radio.

"Burton to Spindrift. Come in Dan," he said.

"Steve, it's Fitzhugh," said the phoney naval commander, "Mr Ericson is asleep. I'm on watch. Should I wake him?"

"Yes Fitzhugh. Get him to the radio, quickly," said Steve.

Dan and Steve were soon talking.

"We've been caught by Kobick. He's also got Marna, and I think she's ready to act like a trustworthy member of our team," said Steve, "We're in a cage on a desk in Kobick's office. He's gone home for the night, but we can't get out. Bring the ropes, the grappling hook safety pin, and the laser cutting gear."

Gotham City, 1968...

One night Catwoman was prowling around on the rooftops of buildings, when she saw Batgirl's cycle disappearing into an alley. She climbed quietly down a drainpipe, and saw the lights go on in an apartment.

Chapter 4: The Rhyming Chapter Title

"I've just worked out where Batgirl lives in her civilian identity," thought Catwoman, "If I can get in there, while she's asleep or away, I may find out how she's been single handedly rounding up Batman's entire mainstream rogues gallery. I'm the only one still on the loose, if she caught Joker and Riddler tonight."

The next day, while Barbara was at work, Catwoman broke into her apartment, systematically searched everywhere. She found the revolving door, the Batgirl cycle in the garage, the proof of Barbara's real identity, and the STM. Unable to quickly work out the intricacies of its use, without training from Thorg, she stole the device and spent the next 24 hours experimenting with it. She soon understood its uses and how it worked. She used the STM to kidnap her daughter Lida from her ex husband. The man had gained full custody, when Selina Kyle had first been exposed as the criminal Catwoman.

Now Catwoman knew that the only way to keep her daughter was to head for another planet, where even the relentless pursuit of Batgirl (and the Dynamic Duo, if they ever re-surfaced) would not lead to her recapture.

She found a planet rich in large foliage, and teleported herself and Lida to Elops, a town in the Land of the Giants. She arrived in 1982.

Land of the Giants, 1984 ...

Soon Dan, Barry and Betty were climbing the rope, with the laser gear strapped to Dan's shoulder. He reached the top and began to cut through the metal grid on the door of the cage. Mark and Marna and Steve were soon freed. The whole team made their way back to the Spindrift.

"I'm sorry for the way I deceived you all last time, Captain," said Marna, "My time in that cage has made me re-evaluate the giants a lot."

"I understand, Marna," said Steve, "You're welcome to stay with us, and when we're ready to go back to earth, you're welcome to come too."

Everyone turned in, having used so much of the night on the escape, that they would sleep most of the day.

Marna came to the lean-to, where Mark was dozing off alone.

"Mark, are you awake?" she asked.

"Sure," he said.

"I wanted to extend a different apology to you, Mark. I thought I could bring you to live with me and the giants, but I was wrong. I should not have manipulated your feelings, but my own were and are still genuine. Would you give me another chance?"

"I think I'm ready for that now," said Mark, losing the gruff businesslike exterior for the first time in many months.

Mark and Marna kissed, and then lay back down.

The next morning, Dan walked in on a scene, which he knew he should leave as it was. Mark and Marna slept comfortably together.

Land of the Giants, 1982...

Catwoman met a giant boy scientist named Jodar, who was fascinated with her STM.

"I no longer have any need for it," she said, "But I would like some way to settle here. If only I was your size, along with Lida here."

Chapter 5: Catwoman puts on Weight

"I think I could make a super protein formula, which might make you both the size of adult and child citizens of my world," said Jodar, "Would you let me have that device in return? I'd like to examine it under a microscope, with small probes, as I'm too big to open it up and look at its circuitry."

"You're welcome to it," said Catwoman, "I'm Selina, and this is my daughter."

For that reason, Jodar began work on his growth formula, and soon had it perfected. Selina and Lida became giants. Jodar showed Lida to his spare bed for the night.

"Wow," said Jodar.

"You knew it would work, didn't you?" asked Selina.

"It's not that. When you were small, I couldn't see that you're ... quite a pretty lady."

"You don't have any more spare bedrooms, do you?" asked Selina.

"No Miss."

"It's Mrs, actually, but I was separated some time ago. You've done a BIG thing for me. I don't know much about science, but how would you like me to teach you the art of cuddling and kissing, before we move out and start lives of our own?"

Jodar was strangely excited by this. He'd never considered being with a woman before. As a boy, he considered them only to be admired and dreamt about.

Selina's kisses taught him many things, which he might otherwise have not discovered for years.

Inside an anomaly ... time unknown ...

"Holy hole in time and space!" said Robin, "Look where we've been pulled, Batman! It must be some sort of warp."

"And so... because of ... a sidekick's endless alliterative ... I am unable to concentrate ... on keeping our flight path stable," said Batman.

"Batman! I'm surprised at you!" said Robin, "Don't let my little expressions get you down. You'll come through."

"I think we're both coming through, but I felt a temporal disturbance too, not just a displacement in distance. It felt very similar to the experiences I had, when the Joker was using his time box to corrupt the flow of time in Gotham City."

Land of the Giants, 1982

Jodar put Selina and Lida up as his guests for a while longer, until Selina met a widower named Farrer, who had a son named Teddy. She had instructed Lida to be very careful not to say anything to the giants, which would give away their earth origin.

Selina and Farrer began a lengthy courtship, fell in love, and noticed how well their children got on with each other. In time, they married. At the beginning of 1983, they moved from Elops to the city which was just coming under the jurisdiction of Inspector Kobick of the SID.

Holy dual role dialogue!

How can this be?

Will Batman and Robin ever catch up with Catwoman?

Will Batgirl ever catch up with Batman and Robin?

Will this story be deemed too strange for Louise and Asukafan to post it on their giants pages?

For the answers to these and other crazy crossover questions, be in front of your websites tomorrow night.

Same timescribe. Same channel.

Chapter 6: Valerie gets a Date

Gotham City, 1968...

Thorg was comforting a distressed Barbara.

"I must be the only woman whose husband goes away on time travelling missions," she said, "For most men, it's a business trip that keeps them away from their wives for days at a time. Now I've been robbed. The only thing I don't know is whether they were after Batgirl or Barbara Gordon."

"Since they found the other STM in your garage with your other utility belt paraphernalia, I think whoever it is may have even guessed that you're one and the same," said Thorg, "I'm going to try to get a reading on your lost STM, by using mine. If it works, we can go to wherever it is... It is working. The other STM is in 1983, on another world. It may have been there for a while, but we can't just go back and take it out of the mini timeline which has formed since it was stolen. 1983 is probably the best time to retrieve it.

They teleported in time and space...

Land of the Giants, Elops, 1983...

Barbara and Thorg appeared on a giant desk, where they saw a giant boy studying their STM.

Thorg froze time for the boy, using his own STM, and then collected Barbara's from the desk.

"Here you are, honey," he said, "Better keep it with you from now on."

"I'd like to keep you with me from now on," she said, "Take me on all your trips. I'm resigning from my job at the library. Let's explore this planet. Giants seem like an interesting challenge for our STMs."

"But what about your duties as Batgirl?" asked Thorg.

"I collared my last criminal today," said Barbara, "except for Catwoman, but she's been off the radar for a while. Technically we could travel anywhere together now anyway. I'll call my super heroine status: Batgirl's Earthly Role Not Applicable."

"That's a mouthful," said Thorg, "It abbreviates to B.E.R.N.A. I think I'll nickname you Berna from now on."

"It sounds feminine," said Barbara, "Giants, here we come."

Land of the Giants, 1985 ...

Batman and Robin looked out of the cockpit of the space ship and saw it land in a thick forest.

They stepped out and split up to explore the new surroundings.

Batman hadn't been walking long, when he came across an attractive red haired woman, who was dressed entirely in yellow.

"I don't believe it," she said, "It's Batman! I'm Valerie Scott. You were a legend on earth, when I was a kid in the 1960s."

"I thought it was the 1960s," said Batman, "That strange silver ship brought Robin and me here from earth."

"And you think you're in the 1960s?" asked Valerie.

"Yes. Aren't we?"

"Tell me what this ship looks like," said Valerie.

Batman remembered the temporal disturbance he'd experienced.

"I don't think I'll need to," he said, "What year is it?"

"1985," said Valerie.

"That ship must have also been a time machine," said Batman, and went on to describe it."

Chapter 7: Every Snog needs a Boy Wonder

"I know that craft," said Valerie, "It belonged to two criminal time travellers who came here from the future. Steve and Fitzhugh had a brief adventure using the ship, and discovered it erratically takes people to points in earth's past. I guess it brought you from the 1960s after Steve sent it off on automatic pilot last time. I'd better call Steve, our captain, on the radio, and let him know I've met a real live caped crusader... Valerie to Spindrift. Come in Spindrift."

"Steve here, Valerie. What's your position?"

"Not far from where you sent that time ship off a while back, when Barry and I were caught by the rangers. You won't believe who's come back in that ship. It's Batman!"

"The Batman?" asked Steve.

"Yes, from 1968. The time ship must have gone to the 1960s. Can I bring him to the ship?"

Steve was his usual suspicious self.

"That could be anyone under that mask, even one of Dr Gault's clones. Ask him if he knows who won the Gotham Police Chief of the Year Award in 1967, and how he earned it," said Steve.

"I heard you, Captain," said Batman, nudging close to Valerie's cheek, to speak into her hand held radio, which caused strange stirrings on Valerie's cheek.

"What are your answers, then, Batman?" asked Steve.

"Police Chief O'Hara won the award. It was for putting his finger on a pair of parkas for himself and Commissioner Gordon in time to help Robin and me collar Mr Freeze."

"That's good enough for me," said Steve, "One more test question then. What year did Elvis Presley die?"

"As far as I know, he's still alive," said Batman, "Although to you, he might have died."

"He did," said Steve, "In 1977. You've even passed my trick question. Bring him to the Spindrift, Valerie."

"I'd better scout around and see where Robin's gotten to first," said Batman.

Meanwhile, the Boy Wonder had come across a beautiful 24 year old woman in a silky pink short dress.

"I'm Betty Hamilton. Are you really Robin?" she asked, "You're still a teenager!"

"Yes, but Batman thought we might have gone through some sort of time disturbance on our way here from earth 1968," said Robin, and went into great detail of their adventure to date.

"It sounds like you came here in Commander Fielder's time ship," said Betty, "I've wanted to meet someone as cute as Barry but old enough for me for a while now."

Then the pretty blonde stewardess put her hands to Robin's face and began kissing him. It went on and on and on, and their arms discovered each other's bodies quickly.

"Holy strangest of stirrings in the regions of utility belts!" said Robin, "That was incredible!"

"It was for me too," said Betty, glad that the teenager was a quick study, "I've been stuck with the same four men and one boy for over two years. The only other guy I liked turned out to be a giant."

"I'm glad you don't just do this with any Joe," said Robin, "For me it was my first kiss, and made me feel special."

Chapter 8: Sometimes Batman makes a small Blunder

"I'll call the Spindrift, and check that it's OK to bring you to our base camp," said Betty, "After that last guy I told you about, the Captain said I needed to be more cautious about bringing people to the Spindrift."

Their reverie was interrupted by a loud crash.

"It sounds like it came from near the ship," said Robin, and ran off.

Betty, although a little taller than Robin, was unable to keep up with the highly athletic former circus aerialist, who had Bat-run through Gotham City more than once.

Robin ran back to find the ship had been crushed. Standing behind it was a towering giant woman.

"Catwoman!" he said, noting that he hadn't seen her face looking like that since the days of her Miss Kitka masquerade. Only now it was gigantic.

"So, my little Robin, you have followed me here in some new space ship you and Batman have designed. Well you will not be using it to take me back to earth. In fact, you won't be telling anyone how I hid out on this planet as a giant. I've remarried and taken on a respectable position as a mother of two."

Robin tried to avoid her fingers, as she stooped down and reached for him, but he had no chance of evading the clutches of an arch villainess who had now become a giant. Selina Farrer picked him up and held him in front of her amused eyes.

Unnoticed by either of them, Betty Hamilton had caught up and hidden in the bushes to look up and witness the capture of Robin.

"Mrs Farrer!" she thought, "She seemed so much on our side, when we teamed up with her to rescue her children from the cave-in and our men from Kobick."

Selina gloated to Robin of how she travelled to the giant world, became a giant, married a giant, and was living happily away from any attempts to return her to Gotham and prison.

Betty listened in surprise, to learn that the polite respectable caring mother was actually an escaped and enlarged earth criminal from the 1960s. She had pretended to be a native giant and cooperated with the double Rescue mission.

"What are you going to do with me, Catwoman?" asked Robin.

"That's a very purr-tinent question," said Selina, "The first thing YOU'RE going to do is stop referring to me as Catwoman. I'm called Mrs Selina Farrer here. I'm going to take you and cage you and hide you where you won't cause me any more trouble by blabbing my secrets to the giants. They hunt for 'Little People' as you earthlings are known. I can't have their most ruthless bureaucrat Inspector Kobick knowing that I used to be one. He already holds it against my husband and I for helping other little people escape him. He only dropped the charges because of extenuating circumstances."

Betty was quickly joining the dots. She had to get back and tell Steve what had happened.

"First let's see who you are. I'm curious," said Catwoman, and ripped off Robin's mask with her huge fingers, "Dick Grayson, the ward of the man I dated as Miss Kitka. Then Bruce Wayne must be Batman. I've learned your secrets, but you'll never give mine away."

She let him keep his Robin costume, as it was his only clothing, but kept the mask for a souveneir.

Selina Farrer walked off with Robin.

Betty ran back to the Spindrift and informed the others what had happened.

"I should never have left him alone on an alien planet!" said Batman, "It's the worst blunder of my crime fighting career."

Chapter 9: Marna views the Fight

"Maybe we can search the city and find where she's taken him," said Steve, "But first you should rest and let us brief you on the perils of the SID and other giants who hunt us."

"There's no time for that!" said Batman, quite frantic at the loss of his partner and ward, "Can't you see I'm trying to fathom the whereabouts of a desperate enlarged criminal!"

"That may be so, but you're stranded with my team now. The ship you came in has been crushed by Mrs Farrer. I make the decisions about this team's group security, and you're now part of this group. You can't go taking off alone."

"Let go of me," said Batman, as Steve took his arm, "I've got to find Robin!"

"Not until you come to your senses," said Steve.

Batman swung at the Spindrift Captain. A furious fight ensued. Steve was highly agile and at the peak of physical fitness, as part of his pilots training. He had won almost every fight he'd had with Mark Wilson, except for the time when Mark had knocked him flat and gone off to take on the giant boy with the war toys.

However Batman was no ordinary opponent.

Soon Steve was lying, bruised on the ground.

None of the others had stepped in to assist Steve. It might have been the fact that they had grown used to watching his many punch-ups with Mark. It might have been the fact that the legendary Batman had them awestruck. Or it might have simply been that they didn't agree with Steve's authoritarian assertion.

Now Betty helped Steve up, with Dan's assistance.

"I'm sorry Captain," said Batman.

Marna looked on, secretly amused. She had seen Steve humiliate her lover Mark in the fight over what to do about her, when they had first met. Now the tables had been turned, and she was glad to see Batman get the upper hand.

The Caped Crusader began walking off through the forest.

Soon Valerie caught up to him.

"Let me come with you," said Valerie, "You don't know the giant city like I do, and we've no idea where Mrs Farrer would have taken Robin."

"Alright," said Batman, who was warming to the attractive former jet set girl from 1985, "But I hope you'll be more supportive than your captain was."

"He enjoys giving orders, doesn't he?" she teased, as she seductively pulled off his mask and recognised Bruce Wayne from an old magazine photo that she'd kept as a child, "But then, so do you. You had consenting shares in several corporations before the age of 20. Or was it several shares in 20 corporations before the age of consent?"

Valerie led Batman into the city.

"Catwoman is your Mrs Farrer's real name. She's had a cavalier attitude to killing Robin before, and shamelessly mentioned it during her attempts to seduce me. She might well have left him for dead somewhere."

"Then we could try the hospital," said Valerie, "Whether found by SID, good giants or bad, that's where they'd take an injured boy first. Best to see if he's there, and if so, get him out before whoever brings him there takes him back."

"It's a long shot," said Batman, "But it's the best one I've got."

Chapter 10: Batman scales a Height

Valerie led Batman to the hospital building. He took out his longest Bat-rope and Batarang, and attached it to his portable Batzooka, all taken from his utility belt and unfolded for dramatic effect. He loaded the Batarang and Batrope, and fired them high into the air. The Bat-rope coiled around a metal hook, which held a giant drainpipe in position two stories up.

"Stay below and steady this rope, while I climb," said Batman, and began to ascend the wall of the giant hospital building.

When he reached the first floor window, a giant nurse leaned out and spoke to him.

"I'm Nurse Helg," she said, "I've met little people before, but not in such cooky tights and a cape."

"I realise that, in this costume, I may not look like an ordinary run-of-the-mill giant fighter," said Batman, "But I'm looking for my old chum Robin. Have any boys my size been admitted to this hospital recently?"

"None, since I treated a little man called Dan myself. Dr Bruhl, the former head of the hospital once supervised an appendectomy for a young boy named Barry, but that was two years ago," said Nurse Helg, "There haven't been any medical emergencies for little people since then."

"Thank you. You may return to your business, citizen," said Batman, and began climbing back down.

"It's very high for a man your size," called Nurse Helg, "You'd better keep both hands on your little rope."

In the mean time, Selina Farrer had taken Robin home. She took a cage and put Robin in it, and positioned it in a tall and leafy tree at the back of her garden. Nobody would find Robin there. She said she'd enjoy having a pet super hero sidekick, and fed him daily, while her family were at work and school.

Steve and Batman reached an understanding. Steve would allow Batman the autonomy he was used to (especially since he didn't have much choice, when it came to opposing the Masked Manhunter). Batman would use his Bat devices from his utility belt, to help Steve and Mark and Dan to get all of the materials they needed to repair the space ship, while taking the opportunity to search the city for Robin on their forays for parts and equipment.

On one occasion, as they were cutting through the park, Steve, Dan and Batman were ambushed by a whole squad of patrolling SID men, who had increased the intensity of their hunts for little people, after several small electrical and metallic items had been reported stolen in the middle of the night.

Batman grabbed several gas pellets from his utility belt, and threw them at the faces of the giants. The SID officers were rendered unconscious, allowing Steve and Dan and Batman to escape.

While Mark and the others were making use of the latest acquisitions to make major improvements in the state of the Spindrift, Batman and Valerie were enjoying as much romance as Mark and Marna had enjoyed at the start of their courtship.

Chapter 11: Batman gets it on with Val

"I know how you feel about Robin," she said, "We've all been rather protective of Barry too. It's a shame they never met."

"Oh Valerie," he said, "Being with you is like a dream ... But what use is a dream, when one's closest thing to family is missing, most likely dead?"

In time the pain of losing Robin began to subside, as Valerie got the better of his hormones. He wondered what it would be like, when they got back to earth, taking her to the long abandoned Batcave and Wayne Manor. Would Alfred still be alive? Aunt Harriet had died that year, after the spectacle of the Riddler wearing boxing shorts over his Riddler costume had given her a heart attack.

Finally the Spindrift was ready for the return to earth.

"Do you want to stay here and continue your search for Robin, or join us on the return flight?" asked Steve Burton.

"Robin means more to me than you could possibly know, and I know I'll have to adjust to 1985," said Batman, "But I know Catwoman, and I think Robin would have turned up by now, if he was still alive to do it."

Land of the Giants, 1985 ...

For weeks now, Robin had been slipping his Bat nail file out of his utility belt and going to work on the cage door grid. Finally he had cut through enough section to be able to kick it loose. He stepped through, stood on a high branch, about level with the sight of Selina's giant head, when she'd come to see him every day. He had hours before she was due. Now it was 9am. It was the best time for him to get out of there and try to find his way back to Batman, and to Betty!

He fastened his Batarang to the remains of the cage door, and slid down the Bat-rope, until he reached the ground. He started walking through the garden, and came across two people his own size.

"Barbara Gordon!" said Robin, "Holy wandering ancient Egyptian Bibliophiles! What are you doing here?"

"This is my husband, a time traveller called Thorg," said Barbara, "It's Berna to him, but you can still call me Barbara, "We met as a result of your disappearance from Gotham 1968."

"Then you've come to take me back," said Robin.

"Not exactly," said Thorg, "You didn't come here by STM. I can't really interfere with your timeline."

"It seems you've lost your mask ... Dick," said Barbara.

"Yes, but how did you get here?"

"I was Batgirl," said Barbara.

"Wow!" said Dick, "But this is a long hike for a Batcycle."

"I came with an Story Tactic Manipulator," said Barbara, "It's called STM for short. It brought Thorg and I here in search of someone who stole mine. We don't know who it is or where she's gone."

"It was Catwoman. She's a giant now," said Robin.

"We can't interfere with that much progression of time," said Thorg, "But we could let you see how Gotham's doing in our absence."

Chapter 12: Where's his Caped Crusading Pal?

Thorg set his STM for Gotham City 1968, and they looked.

"Can you go back a bit in time?" asked Robin.

Thorg did so.

"That's Batman and me in Gotham Park, right before we took off in the time ship," said Robin, "Are you saying that if I used that STM, I could go back and warn Batman not to get in the ship, and prevent all this."

"I'm afraid not," said Barbara, "You see, if something like that were to happen, the results could cause untold complications for an already confusing crossover between giants and super heroes."

Suddenly Thorg was grabbed from behind, and dropped his STM. Using her stealthy movements, long instilled in her from her days on earth as Catwoman, she had snuck up behind them, overheard them talking, and grabbed Thorg.

Robin grabbed Thorg's STM, which was still set for Gotham City 1968. He activated it, and was taken back.

Berna still had her own STM. Catwoman removed Robin's rope, so that Thorg could not climb down it, and then reached for Berna. Berna could only follow Robin to earth and retrieve the stolen STM, get Robin back to the giant world, and then rescue Thorg. If she didn't she'd be caught by Catwoman, and probably lose her STM too.

Gotham City, 1968 ...

Robin found himself in the Batmobile, approaching the ship in Gotham Park, with Batman driving. He was even wearing his mask again. All was as it had been, but he had his memory.

"Batman, we can't go into that ship," said Robin.

"We have a duty to investigate it," said Batman.

"You'll never believe why we can't do that," said Robin, "So let's just cut to the chase. I'm not going in there with you."

"Are you formally refusing to obey Bat-orders?" asked Batman.

"Yes," said Robin.

Batman was puzzled. Something was happening to his authority over Robin. Was this defiance the sign of the first oncoming thrust of manhood for Robin? One thing was certain. Going into an alien ship, while his own command of his partner was dubious, seemed unwise. Batman had the police cordon off the ship, and advised them that he had to return to the Batcave for equipment. It would stall them until he could counsel Robin into obedience.

Robin took off his costume back at the Batcave, convinced that the best way to be sure of changing history was to not even become Robin again. He put his time into his school work as Dick Grayson.

The next day, he saw Barbara walking across the playground. Dick ran into the principal's office.

"Call campus security! Get that woman out of the playground!" said Dick.

"Mr Grayson, what do you think you're doing?" asked the Principal.

"There's an older woman stalking me!" said Dick.

"Are you out of your mind? This is a high school," said the Principal.

"She's into strange fashion too!" said Dick.

"Oh. Well I'd better have her removed then," said the Principal and did so.

Chapter 13: A Place called Gotham

On the way home from school, Dick walked through the park, glad to see that the ship was still there. He had worried so much that Batman might have gone in without him and blasted off for the giant world in 1985.

Suddenly Barbara stepped out from behind the bushes and used her own STM to zap Thorg's out of Dick's pocket, where its bulge was obvious to Barbara.

"I thought I might find you here," she said, "You and Batman must take that ship out the way you originally did."

"Holy cosmic consequences!" said Dick, "Do you really expect me to believe I'm better off repeating that tineline?"

"The universe would be better off. You have to go," said Dick.

"Well you can't make me do that now," said Robin, and turned to walk through the bushes to elude her.

"I'm sorry, old friend. I can still do this," said Barbara, and shrank Dick to tiny size.

He stood on the edge of the garden in the park, and retreated backwards, as Barbara crouched down and lay on her stomach in front of him with a beautiful look on her mischievous face. It contrasted surprisingly with the serious tone she'd been using just before she shrunk him with the STM.

Earth, 1985...

Spindrift made it to Los Angeles airport. Bruce Wayne married Valerie, and soon took on a new teenaged sidekick named Jason Todd, to become the modern Robin.

Mark married Marna.

Betty was still missing Robin, and consoled herself by dating Steve. It wasn't the same, but it was nice.

At one point, Batman and the new Robin happened to collar Lex Luthor, before the newly formed Super Powers Team could arrive on the scene.

Superman arrived in time to overhear Batman telling Luthor off, using his super hearing to listen in on Batman's distinctive vocal tones.

"I know you don't have any super powers," said Superman, "But anyone with such a charismatic voice would make a welcome addition to the Super Powers Team."

"I'll take you up on that, if Robin can join too," said Batman, "My voice projects well, because I combine my healthy vocal chords with my ADAM'S apple."

Gotham City, 1968...

"Now little Robin, you either agree to take the time ship out with Batman, or you're going to remain a little cutie for the rest of your life," mused Barbara.

"But at least Batman will be safe and here to protect Gotham," said Dick.

"You're out of your mind," said Barbara.

"Actually, I'm thinking how hot you look from this angle," said Dick.

"Flattering a married woman will get you nowhere," said Barbara.

Dick groaned. In the excitement he had forgotten that Barbara had married the other time traveller.

"Barbara! What are you doing here?" came the voice of Commissioner Gordon.

Barbara turned to see her father approaching, presumably to keep an eye on the police cordon surrounding the nearby time ship.

While she stopped to talk to her father, Dick ran into the bushes, and hoped he'd eluded her. He stepped out the other side, to be seen and seized by Dawn Robbins, the beautiful model that he and Batman had once rescued from the Penguin.

Dawn snatched him up. Barbara was not delayed by her father for long, as he had police business to oversee. She ran through the bushes in time to see Dawn leaving with Dick. She couldn't risk another citizen of Gotham seeing her use her STM.

Barbara followed Dawn home, and then saw Dawn put Dick on her mantelpiece as an ornament. She didn't know he was the sidekick of her rescuer, and he couldn't give away his identity, let alone what he'd been up to lately. He was trapped.

Barbara stepped into the room, froze time for everyone except herself and Dick and walked over.

"Now you'll have to take that ship out, or you'll be her prisoner forever."

"Alright," Dick stalled, hoping to get his size back and turn the tables.

Barbara's STM failed to restore his size. So she gave him a pill, and spiked it with Bat-nesia solution too. Dick took the pill, got his size back, but lost his memory. He was now mentally back in 1968 too, and returned to Wayne Manor and awaited Batman's next instruction. Relieved that Dick had apparently gotten over his teenage mood swing, Batman took Dick off to the time ship, and history went on as it had before.


End file.
